Another Crucible
by TravellingThroughThunderstorms
Summary: The Black family has always had its share of secrets and lies. This is the story about a lie that spins out of control. A young Black woman, Elladora, faces a trial of fire. It has to do with the origin of Grimmauld Place, the reason Phineas Nigellus became a Hogwarts professor and the reason Isla black ran away with a muggle. Elladora Black & OC. Black family in the XIX century.


_****__Disclaimer: __The ideas are mine, the characters are not. _

* * *

___"**Proctor** _(with a cry of his whole soul).___ Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!"  
_**John Proctor, The Crucible (by Arthur Miller)**

* * *

Elladora had always loved the wind.

When she was a child, she liked nothing better than to go for a riding on a windy day. As soon as her duties were done, the girl would run to the stables and insist upon riding her favorite mare, even if there were dark clouds foreshadowing a storm, much for her mother's concern. Later, when she grew a little older, her interest in horses gave place to a growing passion for books and novels, but even then Ella would prefer lying in the grass, feeling the wind on her hair as she read rather than sitting by a desk in the confinement of a dusty library.

The young woman lowered herself to wipe the snow away from one of the garden benches. The sky was clear now, but there was a couple of inches of snow covering the grounds. The wind was cold. Elladora protected herself as best as she could, with gloves, boots, and a beautiful dress, made of wool. The young woman would have preferred to have someone by her side. She was certain the cold would surrender itself to the warmth of a loving embrace, but there was nobody else. There was never going to be anybody else.

There was, however, a small box on her lap. It was a special box, made of wood and painted in various tones of green. It had been crafted by centaurs from the Dark forest, under the light of a new moon many years before, and present as gift to one of Ella's foremothers by the leader of the colony at the time.

Nobody exactly how long ago that had happened, or who was that woman. But she was surely a Black, and according to the story, she had a secret. A secret so terrible she couldn't bare to hold it alone. By the time that centaur found her, the girl was withering away in sorrow. Bewitched by her beauty and mystified by her loneliness, the centaur talked her into share her secret with him, in the hope that his action would put an end to the sadness on her eyes. The witch advised him it was a terrible knowledge to be burdened with, but he did not listen, convinced as he was of his own strength, believing that nothing could affect him the way it affected that human girl. It was a foolish thought.

The centaur did not wither like the girl had, but he was never the same. Never again he would invite strangers to challenge his strength in thoughtless skirmished. But in spite of what that knowledge had done to him, he cared deeply about that girl, and worried over what would happen to her, should he perish before she could find another depository of her trust. He had ordered the construction of that small box as a way to help her keep her secret.

Whatever that terrible knowledge might be, it did not survive the test of time. However, that small wooden box was inherited by her daughter, and it passed from one generation to the next, until it finally reached Elladora. That artifact had been keeping secrets for the woman in the Black family for several centuries.

Elladora removed her gloves and watched her hands shiver in response to the cold wind. She touched the top of the box, feeling the elevated figures outlined by a vast variety of gemstones studded in the wood. The case had no lock, nor bolt in which to isert a key, nor did it demand for a password before it could surrender its contents. It was protected, instead, by its own kind of ancient magic, and it would only open to the hands of its legitimate owner: The eldest living daughter of the House of Black. Nobody else would be able to access its interior, and everything Ella needed to do was to lift the top.

A waft of wind gently blew over the young woman's face, causing a few strands of hair to fall over Ella's eyes. She placed them back behind her years and rubbed her hands together, hopelesly trying to keep them warm. Then, and only them, she opened the box.

It was filled with memories.

The girl picked up a scarf, the first thing she could reach, and wrapped it around her neck. Long ago, that beautiful silk muffler had belonged to her mother. Not that Elladora could remember. Her mother died from a fever when she was very young. The girl had no memories of her whatsoever, except for the roses. Her mother always smelled like roses, much like that silk scarf still did. Elladora loved that scent. She closed her eyes and sunk her nose in the silky fabric, allowing herself to be evolved by the fragrance.

Ella's eyes teared up with those memories. Perhaps if her mother should have lived, everything would have been different. Perhaps- No. She would would not indulge herself with such thoughts. She was decided to be strong, denying those lonely tears the simple pleasure of rolling down her face. It did not do well do dwell on memories and dreams of things that could have been.

There were other things in the box. Small objects. Momentos from a time that would not come again. An old necklace, a tiny rag doll, several small seashells she'd brought home from her first time on the beach. A pink ribbon that used to belong to her baby sister, Isla. When they were younger, it was Elladora who braided her sister's hair every single morning. Isla wouldn't have it any other way. She was a willful child, much more given to rebellion and disobedience than Ella would ever be.

The two girls were very close growing up. They liked the same stories, the same dresses, the same songs. And when the time came, they fell in love for the same boy.

His name was Zachary. He was a cousin, the son of impoverished relatives who'd sent him away so that he could get a decent education. She could still remember spying on the new cousin from the top of the stairs, the very very night he arrived, all those years ago. It was a stormy night, which preceded her seventh birthday by no more than three or four days. She watched as her eldest brother, Sirius welcomed the new comer, and leaded him into their father's study.

Zachary was a skinny boy, awkwardly tall for his ten years of age. His shirt was at least three numbers too big and he dragged bags that seemed to weight twice as much as himself. He didn't stay in the hall for more than a minute or two, but it was enough for him to catch a glimpse of the little girl spying on the stairs. Perhaps Elladora should have run away, but something made her stay, pressing a finger against her lips, silently urging him not to warn anybody of her presence She was not supposed to be there.

In fact, she was supposed to sound asleep on her bed. The curfew imposed on the girls by their father had come and gone. It was very out of character for her to disobey the rules like that, but they seldom got any visitors and she was dying to meet someone new. Still, if Ella was discovered out of bed she would be in serious trouble.

Her father was a very strict man. He was not given to demonstrations of affection and he believed a certain formality was needed in the relationship between a father and his offspring. Her earliest memories of him are of the times he reprehended her for having conducts unbecoming of a young lady. Ever since her early years, he spoke to his child daughter as he would have spoken to a young woman, and he demanded from her the same discipline and behavior generally expected from a much older girl. Ella tried very hard to make him proud. She hardly ever disregarded his rules and she tried, as best as she could, to behave like a woman, in spite of her lack of guidance on the matter.

Zachary would never have guessed that when they first met. When he saw his cousin in the staircase he did not see an accomplished young woman whose manners testified to her nobility of stock. Instead, Zachary's eyes met with those of a gawkish little girl, clumsily stepping on the hemline of her dress as she crouched down to spy on the new comer. He thought it was cute, and winked back at the girl. She smiled.

A long timed elapsed between that distant night and the day they met behind the stables of the property for the first time. By then, Zachary was 22. He grew to be a very handsome young man, with short dark hair, dark eyes and a strong jaw. He'd inherited everything the Blacks had to offer, apart from their money and their last name. Unfortunately, however, without those two minor characteristics, everything else was rendered meaningless.

Elladora did not think of that at first. In the beginning it was simple. They were done with school, and he was studying to become a professor. They would meet in the stables in the afternoon and ride together for hours as he told her about his studies, his plans for the future, his life-long desire to train young wizards. In return, she told him stories from the novels she was so fond off since her youth. They spent more and more time together, but, inexperienced as she was, the girl did not realize what was happening until he tried to kiss her.

She ran away.

Zachary was disheartened. He had only tried to kiss her because her actions led him to believe such an advance would not be unwelcome. In fact, for a few seconds after that, he was sure he made right decision, as the girl did not try to push him off. However, when she ran away, he was overcome with guilt. Should Sirius and Phineas her about that incident, his male cousins might banish him from their property, from his house of twelve years, and yet, he never asked Elladora to keep it a secret. He wrote numerous letters of apology, as the girl refused to talk to him after what had happened, but her never voiced his concerns about himself in those letters.

Ella had kept one of them. She kept it in that small wooden box, and she had it on her hands right now. The parchment had been yellowed by time, but Zachary's elegant handwriting was never difficult to hear.

* * *

_My dearest Elladora, _

_I am not sure whether I have the right to address you in such a personal way anymore. I do not have the words to express how sorry I am for what has happened between us. I want you to know I accept all blame. I am fully responsible for what has passed. It is my fault. _

_I must say that at the time, I was convinced my advances would not be unwelcome. Blinded as I was by my own feelings, I convinced myself that your actions spoke to me, expressing words your lips could not say. I see now that I was mistaken. I was most gravely mistaken. A young lady, so lovely and noble such as yourself can not act but in an amiable way, even to one as low as myself. You are not to blame for your kindness towards me. I am to blame for having read too much into your ways. _

_However, it is imperative that you understand that I did not do what I did out of malice or villainy. I was a fool, but I was guided by the noblest of emotions. I was guided by love. I love you. I love you more than I ever thought I could. I understand that you can not possibly return my feelings. However, if you can find it in your heart to forgive me I would like to talk to you one more time. I could be your greatest friend and I promise to never lay a finger on you if that's what you desire. I must to apologize to you in person. A letter simply does not suffice. Until I do so, I shall never have peace. _

_My heart is as yours now as it was when that disastrous day took place. I have given it to you, and I shall never have it back. _

_Yours, truly and forever, _

_Zachary. _

* * *

It had been ten years, and that letter was still difficult to read. She had never agreed to meet him of course. Her father was deceased by then, but her brothers would never approve of her marrying a man without a drop of noble blood on his veins, and it was not in her nature do defy their determination. Elladora felt it was her duty to distance herself from their cousin and she fulfilled that duty to the best of her ability, effectively avoiding his company for nearly a year. She never told her brothers, and Zachary still lived in the, but he would never approach the girl without her consent. Eventually he quit sending those letters, and came to terms with the fact that he and Ella would never speak again.

It was about that time that Isla told her eldest sister she was in love.

At first, Elladora felt sorry for her baby sister. Not so long ago Isla was a child begging for bed time stories. Now she was a young woman of fifteen, about to have her heart broken for the first time. She seemed to love Zachary with a passionate intensity, the flaming intensity teenage girls generaly display towards the object of their affections. But Zachary could not possibly return those feelings.

Except that according to Isla, he did.

"He's so gentle, Ella. He helps me to mount my horse whenever we go riding, you know? And he's so intelligent, so smart! You should hear him reading poetry, it's quite lovely. He read me a sonnet the other day, and he said it reminded him of my eyes? Isn't it lovely? I'm sure he loves me, I'm sure!

"Ella, you'll never believe it! I think Zachary wanted to kiss me today! We were at the stables, he was helping me and I felt his hand- Oh, it was so exciting! I'm so happy Ella! Oh, I know that face of yours, you must never tell Sirius and Phineas they would lose their minds! Promise me! Promise you'll never tell!

"Zachary tells me you don't talk to him anymore. He believes you don't like him. Oh, you'll talk to him, won't you Ella? You'll be friends with him, you'll- you'll try and like him for my sake won't you? He's such a good man! He's intelligent, and strong, and kind, and he never does anything I don't want to do! Nobody will ever loved me as he does, I'm sure!"

Isla could not have known how badly she was injuring her sister with her words. She was not as diligent as the elder girl, she would never give up on her feelings on account of her family's pride. And she would never understand that Ella did it. She would think her sister had not loved him enough. Ella was devastated. She went from being lonely and heartbroken to angry and jealous within a matter hours. The mere sight of Zachary on the grounds was enough to bring tears to her eyes. She did not know what to do.

Of course, she didn't have to do anything. Sirius and Phineas would never allow Isla and Zachary to get married. Eventually her sisters indiscretions would be discovered and Zachary would be banished. She would get over the pain of never being able to see him again in order to support her little sister in her first frustrated romantic affair. Isla would fall in love again and marry, and she would marry whoever her brothers chose for her and in time everything would be just fine. Or so she thought, until that day, when she overheard her brothers talking in Sirius' study.

"_What do you think?"_

"_Isla is far too young to get married."_

"_Yes, Phineas, I agree. However, she appears to be in love. Our little sister has never approved of concealing her emotions as you are well aware. But now her behavior is so flagrant it borders on public scandal. Even I have noticed it, and the servants are talking. They have seen her alone with Zachary in a number of occasions."_

"_I see-"_

"_Phineas, they have been see in the stables, in the kitchens, in rooms behind closed doors! Isla does not have one shed of discretion! I have seen her stepping into Zachary's room unescorted! If I hadn't been there, nothing would have stopped her! A young woman in a man's room! Alone! It's unthinkable."_

"_Sirius,-"_

"_If word gets out, this will damage her reputation in ways Isla can not begin to understand." _

"_This is true." _

"_I'm afraid we may have to expel Zachary from the property. We wouldn't abandon him, of course, but we could buy him a small house in the village. I can talk to someone in the Ministry to offer him a junior position as he continues his studies."_

"_Such an attitude would bring war to this house. Isla is extremely ill-tempered, we shall never have peace again." _

"_Are you suggesting we surrender to the wishes and fancies of a little girl?"_

"_Of course not-"_

"We would do it discreetly. Isla will have to go back to school, soon, we could wait until then."

"_Yes but why not take advantage of this situation? Our sister could had chosen a lot worse than Zachary, I believe-"_

_Sirius sighed._

"_I enjoy his company as well, Phineas, but he _is_ the son of a servant."_

"_His father was a commoner, but his blood was pure. And his mother was a Black woman. I believe we could easily persuade him to change his surname to Black. I would even go so far as to say he has been thinking about that ever since he first came to us."_

"_What are you proposing?"_

"_We have no other cousins. Perhaps, if we could convince him to adopt his mother's maiden name, we could marry our sister in the family. It's been done before." It took him a while to continue. "Sirius, neither of us is married yet, we no sons to carry on the family name. It would be wise to marry our sister in the family." _

"_There's still the matter of the money-"_

"_We have more than enough money to sustain them. Isla would never cease to be a Black. They could live here, with us, and this way we could protect her and watch over their children's education. Make sure the inadequacies of her husband's early upbringing does not get in the way of they being raised as Black."_

"_I see-"_

"_Of course, they should wait to marry after Isla finishes school, but there's no reason they can't get engaged right now. Besides, a long engagement will buy us time to find Elladora a husband. She is older. She should marry first."_

"_Of course. She, st least, should marry money. I'll think of a proper candidate. In the meanwhile, you go find out how much of these rumors about Isla and Zachary is true. I want to know if he has been disrespectful towards our sister."_

"_Of course. I will investigate."_

"_Also, talk to Isla. Advise her to discontinue these indiscretions until she is married. I have talk to her but she- The girls listen to you better. Find out how much she loves him, whether or not she wishes to marry him. Ask for Elladora's help. The girls are close, Ella will probably be of great assistance. _

"_I will brother."_

Ella was thunderstruck.

It didn't take long for Phineas to come looking for her that afternoon. She was half-expecting him. Ella noticed when he passed by the window in the living room, towards the front door. She was aware of him as he walked out of the house and she heard the sound of fallen leaves cracking under his boots as he walked towards her in the garden. However, it was not until he stood in front of her that the girl lifted her head from the book she'd been pretending to read. Once again, she pretended to be surprised by her brother's presence, and even managed to smile at him, in spite of how heaavy hear heart felt with the knowledge of what was to come.

"Elladora, I'm sorry about interrupting your reading. May I share in your company for a while?"

"Of course, brother."

He sat by her side in the double chair. He was dressed in breeches and boots, his horsemanship garments, and he looked particularly elegant. Elladora had always loved Phineas dearly. She loved her eldest brother as well, of course, but Phineas had a certain charm and charisma which Sirius lacked. Sirius was a harsh man, in no small part on account of their parents' early death. Phineas, on the other hand, was a great deal more agreeable, when he cared to be.

"You know I'm off to Scotland soon." He started.

She merely nodded. Phineas had accepted a teaching position at the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, last fall. He was just as much an aristocrat as she was, but Sirius was the eldest, and as such, the house and the family's business were his to do do as he pleased. He would never leave Phineas in hardship, of course – his baby brother and best friend – but the younger man was trying to make a life for himself. A position among the teachers of Hogwarts was no small accomplishment for a man of 23. It was a prestigious position granted him by his accomplishments as well as by centuries of good relationships with powerful families in the wizardry world. Besides, Phineas had always been the scholar in the family. He was much more comfortable in a library, or an office filled with books, than he would ever be sitting with Ella in the garden and enjoying a windy day.

"I shall miss you, of course," she said, and he looked her in the eyes, almost as if he was trying to determine her truthfulness.

"I would like to know that your life is taken care off when I'm gone. As well as Isla's-"

"You have nothing to worry about. Sirius is staying here. He will no doubt take care of us."

"Must a brother's concern for his younger sisters have logical grounds?" He asked, and there was a smile in the corner of his lips.

She smiled as well.

"I suppose not."

"Quite right. I can think of nobody better than our brother to administer the family's property. But Sirius lacks some of the social graces required to best look after you and Ella."

He was right again.

"I will not enjoy being separated from you, brother. But I would not wish to hold back your carreer and your future on my account. I'm sure Isla feels the same way."

"Isla. Our little sister feels a great many things does she not? And she's never too discrete about them."

"It is her way, I suppose." Ella said, looking away from Phineas face.

"Her way does her more damage that it does good." Phineas stated. "Elladora, it has come to my ears that Isla may have become romantically involved with our cousin Zachary."

Elladora didn't say a word. She couldn't. Phineas continued.

"Has she confided in you? Has she told you anything about this affair? Ella- Elladora, what is happening. Sister, are you crying?"

She turned her face away so he couldn't see her eyes tearing up, but it was useless.

"Elladora." Phineas touched he chin lightly and made her face him once more. Her eyes were lowered. She would not look at him. "Elladora, is it something that I said? Did I hurt you in any way?"

Phineas would never understand her reasons. He would understand that she loved Zachary first. She deserved him more. She couldn't tell him that.

"Elladora, please, talk to me." Phineas insisted. His voice was gentle, but also urgent and he wouldn't let go. "Sister?"

"I-" She started, sobbing. "I don't think Zachary is a good man for Isla, Phineas."

This is not a lie, she thought to herself. Zachary was not a good man. He had promised her his love and when he realized he couldn't have her, he made advances on her sister. He wanted to be in their family at any cost, there was no other explanation. And that was what she told Phineas.

"He's not a good man, Phineas. I thought he were but-" It was hard to speak. "He just just wants to be in the family, he does not care which girl,- He does not care about m- about Isla- about anybody."

Phineas was very quiet.

"I used to spend time with him. It was supposed to be me, not Ella. But when he did- When he made- I walked away. I never told you, I didn't want to trouble you or Sirius, but-"

"You never told us what? Ella, we could have protected you."

"And now he's over Isla, and she- She likes him, she can't help it, but he will- She will be hurt. He will hurt her like."

"Elladora, what did he do to you?" Phineas asked urgently, reaching out to grasp his sister's hand now.

"He- It was nothing- It's so unbecoming, I- He made- advances."

Phineas fingers closed forming a fist. Elladora was sobbing uncontrollably now.

"Ella, what are you saying, did he say things to you?"

"No, no- I mean, yes, but-"

"Did he touch you?"

She was reluctant to answer that. She sobbed and sobbed as if she couldn't – or wouldn't – say anything. But Phineas was persistent.

"Ella?" His voice had been raised an octave now.

"Yes, yes- He-" She finally spke. "He made advances- Like- Like-"

Then she collapse in her brother's arms, crying painfully, wrapping her arms around his body.

Phineas was very quiet for a while. He watched his sister falling over him, quite unsure as for what to do. He remained very quiet as she crumpled his shirt with her fingers, and although he did not push her away, he didn't hold her back either. The young man did not hold his sister's hand, he didn't do so much as to strike her hair. He simply remained there.

Elladora could not have known the chaos in her brother's mind. Phineas had been ready to deliver his youngest sister in the hands of that- scoundrel. That criminal had been preying on his sisters under Phineas' nose and he hadn't even noticed it. Had he been so busy with the pursue of his career that he had neglected his own duties as an older brother? Had he been so selfish as to neglect his own blood? He looked at Ella's painful cries and wondered if that would have happened if he hadn't been so careless.

After a while, Phineas stood up. He took his sisters arms away from his body and stood in front of her. She was still crying.

"This should never have happened, Ella. I will take care of this. Sirius will be made aware-"

Sirius. Sirius would be enraged by that.

"I will talk to him straight away. This subject requires our immediate attention. That vile- That animal- He- He took something from you. He had no right. But he will pay, sister. I'll make sure he pays."

"Phineas-?"

"I wish you to return to your quarters immediately. I must handle this right now, but I do not wish to leave you here in such state."

Elladora was paralyzed. The tears continued to roll down her eyes, but she no longer sobbed. She no longer made a sound. The enormity of what she was doing started to sink in as she saw something in her brother's eyes she had never seen before.

"Come now." He commanded her impatiently. It took him a second to notice he had spoken rather harshly to a crying girl. "Please," he then added, turning his eyes away.

Elladora stood up mechanically and followed her brother into the house. She wanted to ask him questions but when she opened her mouth no words came out of it. The young woman simply lifted her hand to dry her eyes, in case someone else ran into them as they walked across the corridors of the manor.

Phineas steps were firm, and steady, although he was careful enough not to walk too fast and in doing so obliging his sister to struggle to follow him. His jaw was locked and he eyes seemed to be lost in thoughts far away. By the time he finally spoke they at the door of Elladora's room.

"I'll ask Isla to come and tend to your needs." He stated. And turned his back away.

"No!" Elladora said, and her brother stopped, looking over his shoulder. "No, I- I just wish to be left alone for a while." She said.

"Very well." He nodded, and walked away.

Elladora closed her door behind her as she entered her room. She laid her forehead on the door and breathed quickly for a while. Then she walked across the room and opened her window violently. The sun was setting she had no time to lose.

The young woman pointed her wand at the door. _Colloportus._ She whispered. She could not leave that way, but it would be best if nobody else discovered Ella was not in her room anymore.

Once again she waved her wand and conjured a ladder extending from her open window to the garden below. Zachary would be at the stables now. She had to meet him.

If she could have aparated in the stables she would have but there were spells preventing such a thing in the limits of the property. She would have to run. And so she did, praying that no one could see her from one of the windows. Praying that Zachary was where he was supposed to be. And most of all praying that he would do as she told him to. He owed her that much.

"ZACHARY? ZACHARY?"

"Elladora?" Zachary was confused. He would never have expected the girl that had ignored him for so long to come shouting for his name in the stables of her family, and he certainly would not have expected her to jump into his arms after several months of silence. But as surprised as he was he would have certainly not push her away. "Elladora? Miss Black? What's wrong?"

She was crying again.

"Zachary? Oh, Zachary, you are okay- I was so afraid-"

"What happened."

"We don't have time for this." She said urgently, drying her tears and walking away, trying to see if someone was coming. "Phineas and Sirius will be here at any minute."

"What? Why? What is happening? I have- I have waited for this opportunity for so long. And now you are in such a hurry!"

"What? What are you saying?"

"I have been meaning to talk to- to-"

"To declare your love for me?" She asked angrily, and the young man was at a lost.

"Miss Black?"

"Perhaps you should not have been so quick to do the same for my sister!" She was almost shouting, and once again, Ella could not restrain her tears.

"Ella?"

"Girls talk, mister Black, and my sister has told me everything. She has told me of the times you spend together, she has spoken of your love for her. She believes you are going to marry her!"

"What?"

"Oh, did you think I was not going to find out until the engagement party? How could you be so foolish? How could you hurt me so?"

"Miss Bella, I-"

"I believed you. I believed your letters, all of them. I believed you loved me. How do you think I felt when I found out you feelings targeted my family's name instead of my heart?"

"Miss Bella, this is extremely unfair!" Zachary raised his voice. "I have no wish for your family's wealth and I will not be accused of such crime. Not even by you, my love."

"Z- Zachary-" The girl stuttered, taken by surprised by his calling her 'love'.

"I don't know what Miss Isla had told you, Miss Black. But I am inocent of the crimes of which you are accusing me. I have taken your sister fot horseback riding at her request, but we have barely spoken at all. Miss Isla did most of the talking, but I barely offered answers to her inquiries. In fact, I often made horse run fast enough so she wouldn't be able to pair up with me, just so she wouldn't have the chance to ask me any more questions."

Elladora was thunderstruck. He continued.

"I realize this may have been impolite. I assure you I have experienced guilt of treating your younger sister so harshly. She is a lovely child and she deserved better than that, especially from a commoner such as myself. But how could I bare talking to her when you were the only one I wanted to talk to? Miss Isla wanted to talk to me but you did not and that was the only thing I cared about! Worse than that! Whenever I taught her something about the horses I felt guilty, I felt like was betraying you for as much as talking to another woman, even if she was your baby sister. Even if she was just a child."

Child. He was referring to Isla as a child. Ella was starting to see things more clearly.

"I only asked Miss Isla questions to inquire of your state, Miss Black. I told her I was worried that you disapproved of my company and I told her we were not on speaking terms, but I never betrayed our secrets, not once! I am sorry that Miss Isla read too much into my words. I would never blame a young girl for anything, I am sure I must have done something to give her such a mistaken impression, however I am at a lost as to what that might be. I beg you, Miss Black, you must talk to your sister. Talk to her, clear up this misunderstanding. Tell her that- That my heart is already taken."

Elladora's knees failed her and the young woman fell seated on a chair. Almost immediately, she stood up, walking from one side to the other, her hands moving frenetically in the air. Isla was a fifteen year old girl. She had convinced herself of things that did not exist. She was dreaming out loud and Ella had been so preoccupied with herself she didn't even noticed it.

"This is bad, this is so very bad."

"Oh, my love, please do not say so." Zachary begged, and his eyes teared up. He seemed a little lost. "I know that you can not possibly return my affections, but,-"

"Zachary, you don't understand. Phineas is coming, she believed you had intentions of marrying Isla-"

"What?"

"The servants have seen the two of you rising together, and Isla is not exactly discreet about her affections."

"Well, I'll set him straight. I will tell him I have no intention of marrying Miss Isla, I will tell him the truth!"

"That will not be good enough."

"How can the truth not be good enough? Phineas may be displeased at this rumors, but we are good friends. We have been to Hogwarts together, we have shared a dorm for seven years. He will listen to me."

"You do not understand, Zachary, stop talking and listen to me." Elladora urged him. "You will have to tell him you wish to marry me. You do, don't you?"

"Of corse!" A big smile appeared on his face. "Nothing would please me more."

"You will have to apologize, profusely."

"Anthologize?"

"Phineas knows."

"He does?"

"Yes. I- I had to tell you."

"I see. Well, we can set this straight, I will apologize, and I will leave the property if he wishes me to, but I will remain firm in my position. I will take you with me if you want to go."

"Zachary, Phineas and Sirius are not coming to banish you from our land, they are coming to hurt you." She was extremely nervous now. "They will be here at any minute now, it is imperative that you listen to me."

"To hurt me? Miss Black, I realize I have crossed the boundaries that day, but I doubt your brothers will raise their wands against me on account of a kiss that never happened. They will not challenge me to a dwell over something that could have been."

"This is not a dwell. There will not be anything honorable about it, don't you understand? Honor was broken already!"

"What?"

"Phineas believes-"

"Phineas does not know what happened, does he?"

"No, not really. He believes-"

"If I understand you correctly," and now there was a mix of disappointment and disbelief "Phineas believes a great deal more happened between us-"

"Y- Y- Yes." She stuttered.

"He believes something very grave indeed!" Zachary could barely keep himself from yelling now. "He believes I have done something so low, so vile, so- How can he believe I would do that to anybody? How could he believe I would do that to you?"

"Zachary-"

"How could you have told him something like this?" His voice had lowered to something alightly louder than a whisper now, but the disappointment in his words brought despair to Elladora's words.

"I didn't. I didn't tell him a thing, I just-"

"You let him believe that!"

"I didn't lie!"

"You didn't tell the truth either." That's a kind of lie, he thought, but he could not bring himself to say that out loud. "How could you?"

"Just admit to it! If you admit, if you tell him you were wrong, tell him that you loved me, I'll tell him I love you too-"

"You love me." He looked down. "You don't know how long I have waited for you to tell me this. "But never, never under these circumstances."

"Zachary, listen-" Elladora walked towards him. "There things I can say to my brothers. Do you understand? I can make claims that will make them listen to me. I can say things that will make them comply with my wishes, do you understand? They will not want to hurt me and I will tell them I can not live without you. I will tell them I can not survive knowing that my brothers stained themselves with murder on my account. If- If- If you'll just admit to what you have done, if you do as I tell you to-"

"I can not lie!"

"Why not?"

"BECAUSE IT IS MY NAME! My integrity! The only thing I really have in this life!"

"This can't be true."

"THIS IS MY NAME! MY WORD! IT'S ME! IT IS ALL I HAVE!"

"Zachary, you are going to be killed. Why are you being so stubborn?"

"I can not do what you ask of me."

His word was final.

"I have to go. I have to talk to my brothers, I have to tell them- I can not believe you are doing this to me. When I tell them the truth they will never look at me the same, they will."

Zachary remained silent.

"I have to find them."

She never kissed him goodbye.

The young woman ran back to the house, as fast as she cold, blasting the stones on her way with her wand. But by the time she got there her brothers were nowhere to be found. She looked everywhere for them but Sirius and Phineas were gone. So she sat on staircase in front of the entrance door and waited. She waited for her brothers thinking of what she would tell them. At first her thoughts deceived her and the girl found herself thinking of elaborate lies and plots to cover up what she had done. But there was no way this time. She would have to tell the truth.

Elladora no longer cried. Perhaps she didn't have any tears left on her for the day. Or perhaps the thoughts of atonement calmed her down. Her brothers would arrive any time now. As soon as she saw them walking towards the door she would jump on Phineas arm and confess the truth. _Brother_, she would say, _it was all a mistake, nothing happened between Zachary and myself. I was jealous of him and Isla because I loved him, but he loves me too! He loves me too! Nothing happened between him and Isla, those were just rumors. Evil rumors, Sirius, they blinded me! Oh, Phineas, he is a good man, he has never laid a finger on me, he respects me so much he couldn't even tell me how much he loved me! _

Her brothers would look at her in disbelief but she would go on, grabbing Sirius' arms and insisting. _I love him, and he loves me, and we can get married, because you will allow it, won't you brother? I thought you would never approve of our marriage, but you will! You will, because Zachary will change his last name and our children will be Black. Oh, brother, I'm so in love! I know I shouldn't have lied to you. I know I should have told you straight away, but I was so afraid. It was a foolish mistake. _

It was a great deal more than a foolish mistake. Because by the time her brothers arrived, the scene took its course, exactly as Elladora had pictured it in her mind. She ran towards her brothers before they could enter the house and confessed everything. Neither Sirius nor Phineas tried to stop her as she explained the extent of her lies. But when she was done, when she was finally done, and she was smiling, Phineas shook his arm, pushing her away. The girl lost her balance and fell down, and it was not until she lifted her head to look her brothers in the eyes that she realized she was late. Zachary was already dead.

Isla could never recover from the death of her lover. She never learnt of her sister's part in that tragedy, but it was impossible to keep her from knowing her own brothers had perpetrated the crimes. She never spoke to them again, and the girl whose laughs had once filled the Black manor now stayed in her room, wallowing in sorrow. She was so young. She would have recovered from a broken heart if Zachary had chosen to leave her or even if he had married her elder sister. But she believed he died because of his love for her, and that was the one thing she could not recover from. In time, she became acquainted with a muggle, Bob Hitchens or something. She never loved him with the passion she loved Zachary, but she saw in him an opportunity to escape that house, the memories it evoked and the company of her siblings. She renounced her magic and left her wand behind. It is unknown whether or not they had children, thought the servants often wondered whether or not her own sadness had killed her before she could ever experience the hazards of old age.

Sirius lost great quantities of money trying to cover up his cousins death. He had to sell nearly all of his properties in London, except for a small house in a muggle neighborhood, Grimmauld Place or something, which Phineas used as refuge when he was not required at Hogwarts. Zachary's family never ceased to make inquiries to Sirius, and at some point, even the Department of Magical Law Enforcement became evolved. Elladora watched as her brother aged before his time and allowed those concerns to be the cause of his premature death. After he was gone, Phineas no longer had any reason to get back to the country house and she never met his children.

Neither of her brothers ever spoke to Elladora again. Nor did they try to find her a husband. Their disappointment was simply too great. She was left alone, a single woman in a big house forgotten in the British countryside.

It had been ten years since the ill-fated day in which Phineas had found her in that garden, pretending to read. She still enjoyed being outside, she was siting in that garden bench that very moment, but she didn't took nearly as much pleasure in the activity as she used to.

The garden had changed. Most of the servants left, and there was no one to keep the plants from dying. Luckily, the snow covered most of the weeds that took over the property. Elladora had changed as well. She was 29 years old now. A young woman, by wizardry standards, but the last decade had taken its tool on her. Time had carved its marks on her face.

Ella closed the box on her lap, the small wooden box, painted in tones of green. It was said that that small box had been crafted with purpose of holding a secret, although Ella doubted it could have been as terrible as the secrets it contained now. She laid her long fingers on the elevated drawings outlined by the gemstones studded on the wood and wished she had someone to give that box to. There was no one. There would be no atonement for her crimes. She was all alone.

A waft of wind caused some strands of hair to fall over Ella's eyes. She did not bothered moving them away. They would hide her tears.

Elladora had always loved the wind.

* * *

_**A/N**: I wrote this for the **Black Beauties Competition** on HPFC. I was supposed to chose a woman from the Black family. I chose Elladora. I was given the prompt: **"She always loved the wind"**. I have alsocombined it with the demands from the **HP Potions Competition,** Antidote to Veritaserum (I was Write about** a lie that spins out of control**).  
_

_Just to make it more interesting I have chosen to inspire this story in that quote from The Crucible by Arthur Miller, hence the title._

I am not a native speaker and this has not been beta read, so I'm sure there are more than a few mistakes. I was so eager to post it I simply could not wait! Please notice that this story will be re-uploaded once I make the corrections. If anyone would like to Beta, just say so.

I am quite proud of this story. Please tell me what did you think of it.

**LLAP**


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